Effect of actinomycete isolates on potassium availability, soil characteristics, and barley growth

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Guilan, Rasht, 41635-1314, Iran.

2 Agriculture Organization of Guilan Province, Management of Plant Protection, Rasht, Iran

Abstract

This study was conducted in two parts to investigate the ability of actinomycete strains to increase potassium solubility and improve soil properties and barley growth. In the first part, an experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design with 29 actinomycete strains in Alexandrov medium, with three replications, to evaluate the strains' ability to dissolve potassium and alter the pH. In the second part, barley was cultivated under four treatments (control (C), chemical fertilizer (CF), and two strains, S3C and S5A) with three replications in a completely randomized block design. Some soil characteristics, growth traits, and plants' nutrition were evaluated. In Alexandrov medium, the lowest pH value (3.23 and 4.25) and the highest amount of soluble potassium (4.83 and 4.73 mg/L) were observed in the S3C and S5A strains, respectively. The lowest pH value and the highest amount of soil potassium were observed in the two treatments containing actinomycete. The amount of available soil phosphorus in the S3C treatment and the amount of available nitrogen and iron in the S5A treatment were the highest. The amount of plant potassium in the S3C and S5A treatments increased 3 times compared to the control. The highest amount of plant phosphorus and iron was observed in the S3C and S5A, respectively. Since these microorganisms, in addition to releasing potassium into the soil, also enhance the overall nutrient status of the soil, their use as a biofertilizer, as demonstrated by field experiments, can increase crop productivity and support the development of sustainable agriculture.

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Iranian Journal of Soil and Water Research

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 09 February 2026

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